New technology helps identify prostate tumours

01 December 2017

Dr Troy Sukkarieh

Hackensack Meridian Health Bayshore Medical Center, a 211-bed not-for-profit community hospital located in New Jersey, US, has announced that it has expanded services to include targeted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ultrasound for prostate biopsy.

The procedure uses ultrasound and MRI to facilitate improved targeting within the prostate, which enables cancerous cells to be more easily detected. It uses pre-biopsy MR images of the prostate with ultrasound-guided biopsy images in real time, providing delineation of the prostate and suspicious lesions, as well as a clear visualisation of the biopsy needle.

“MRI fusion prostate biopsies are groundbreaking in the diagnosis of prostate cancer,” said Dr Troy Sukkarieh, a urologist and urologic surgeon at Bayshore Medical Center. “Even in 2017, physicians still have difficulty pinpointing the exact location of prostate cancer due to the challenges with visualising the entirety of the prostate, as well as the biopsy needle. This technology provides us with much better information so that we can more easily see prostate tumours and biopsy the appropriate areas.”